The 24-year-old Marcos Rojo, who can play in both central defence and at left-back, was one of Argentina's standout performers at the World Cup in Brazil where he helped his country reach the final before losing to Germany.

English Premier League giants Manchester United have agreed a deal for Sporting Lisbon's Argentine international defender Marcos Rojo with Nani heading in the other direction, the Portuguese club announced on Tuesday.

Sporting said in a statement that the two clubs had agreed a transfer fee of 20 million euros (Â£16million, $26.7million) with Nani returning to his former team on a season-long loan as part of the deal.

United followed suit later Tuesday with a brief statement on their website confirming the move.

"Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon to sign defender Marcos Rojo, subject to a medical and agreeing personal terms," it read.

"A further announcement will be made when the process is complete."

The 24-year-old Rojo, who can play in both central defence and at left-back, was one of Argentina's standout performers at the World Cup in Brazil where he helped his country reach the final before losing to Germany.

He spent the past two seasons at Sporting having joined from Spartak Moscow in July 2012.

Nani, 27, returns to Portugal seven years after leaving Sporting for Old Trafford.